


The Lost Soldier

by GreenRoyale



Series: Some Change and Some Games [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Feels, Captain America Convention, Lunch date, M/M, Pre-Slash, Prequel, Steve Feels, Steve is bored, Tony doesn't feel, Tony is just hungry, lunch not-date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 02:53:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1882359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenRoyale/pseuds/GreenRoyale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when Steve Rogers is all alone in the Avengers Tower and he gets bored?</p><p> </p><p>He finds Tony Stark and they go out to eat.</p><p> </p><p>I suck at summaries I know. Second installment after "Confetti" and one of the prequels for "Do You Fondue?" Can be read on its own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lost Soldier

**Author's Note:**

> Set after "Confetti", Steve is alone again and decides to explore the tower. This is the day that was mentioned in "Do You Fondue" where Tony "finds" Steve wandering the tower like a lost soul. 
> 
> Also, this fic has a little bit of Bucky and Steve feels. I dunno, I just felt like writing it into this one. I may or may not be writing one more part before Steve/Tony happens but I WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN.
> 
> Thanks gaizz for the kudos.

Steve got up from his bed, rubbing the back of his head to relieve the sore feeling of having laid down for too long. A boring Wednesday was exactly what he needed. He picked up his StarkPhone, (courtesy of Tony of course) and unlocked it.

 

No calls. No messages. Nothing.

 

He stuffed the phone into his pocket, ignoring the feeling of disappointment and decided to leave his room.

 

Being one of the later Avengers to shift into the tower, there was really not much he had to do. All he brought was a duffel bag stuffed with shirt and pants, his uniforms were all shifted before he even knew about it. He only heard from someone that Tony had made all the necessary arrangements for the team some time back.

 

Now that he's in the tower, everybody else was not. Natasha and Clint were away for a mission. Bruce was called back to Calcutta to facilitate an experimental program. Thor rarely comes down to join them for missions anymore. The Thunderer seemed to have far more pressing issues back in Asgard that needed his attention rather than being on Earth.

 

Tony, on the other hand, was always in the tower but has always been a ghost. Nobody really knew where he was and what he was doing unless he was actively participating in team activities like the occasional meal sessions they have collectively agreed on having at least once a week. Except for the fairly awkward meeting the previous weekend, Steve had only seen him once more after that and no more.

 

Before Steve knew it, he had walked his way to an unfamiliar area of the tower.

 

The Captain furrowed his eyebrows, turning back to look at where he had just come from and where he had just reached. He had somehow 'found' Tony's workshop.

 

He was torn between pursuing his curiosity and take the steps forth, and turning around to leave. He let his curiosity take over and walked forward, looking around the workshop that was so messy he wasn't sure it was safe for anyone to work in.

 

"You lost, soldier?"

 

The voice surprised him more than he was supposed to be. Steve turned around and stood awkwardly as the man walked over towards him.

 

"Tony. Didn't think you were in."

 

"I'm always in, you just don't see me," the man replied, wiping his hands with a rag and tossing it aside afterwards. His white sleeveless was smeared with grease and he had his work goggles on his head. "Whatchu doin' here? Planning to steal my secrets?"

 

"No, I was just looking..." Steve pointed at the papers on the table and looked back to the man.

 

The two of them stood at their spots and stared at each other for a moment as if waiting for the other to say something but neither had anything in their minds.

 

Steve became aware of the awkward silence and quickly said, "You seem busy so... I'll just go back now."

 

"Okay," Tony replied simply as he sidestepped Steve and walked back to his workspace.

 

Steve gave a small smile and nodded before walking away. He almost cursed himself aloud at the stupid thought of randomly walking into someone else's floor and snooping around in boredom. Also, who would have guessed that Captain America is such an awkward person to be around with?

 

Tony took one glance at his papers and then sighed.

 

"Hey Steve," he called out, making the blond man turn back. "You got any plans for the day?"

 

Steve blinked twice and thought about it. Not about his plans, but about the fact that Tony was the one who asked. There was a kind of determination in Tony's eyes as he stood there waiting for an answer and Steve couldn't figure out if the genius was jesting or not.

 

"I was thinking of going some rounds in the gym," he lied. He had no plans of going to the gym for the day, he had already done that earlier. "Why?"

 

Tony simply shrugged, then taking his goggles off his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "Just thinking of going out to grab some food. But you've got plans..."

 

The blond man considered the offer. He’s almost bored to death sitting alone in this tower, there’s no point going back to gym, he’s almost finished watching the top movies from the 90s. There’s really nothing he feels like doing specifically.

 

“I guess I am kind of hungry,” Steve finally said.

 

“Great, I’ll see you out in ten,” Tony replied.

 

Steve went back to his room and picked out his usual clothes. He changed pretty quickly and decided to rush down. For some reason, his heart just won’t keep steady. Maybe it was the excitement of having to go out that was making him feel a little jittery.

 

When he met up with Tony at his garage, the billionaire was actually waiting for him with a dazed look. They didn’t say anything much but just went out to a nearby diner where they grabbed some burgers, fries and soda.

 

"Haven't seen you around much these days," Steve started, trying to spark a kind of conversation between them. "Busy with a new project?"

 

"Not really," Tony shrugged and took a huge bite into his burger. "Just trying to avoid the civilization for a bit. I'm not exactly in the mood to socialize."

 

"Oh." Steve paused in eating, trying to understand the point of that statement. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that answer."

 

"Were you expecting me to say 'yeah, busy with new project' then?" Tony asked half-heartedly, taking a long pull from his soda.

 

"Kind of, yes," Steve agreed.

 

"Nah, I'm too lazy to lie to you, Cap," Tony shook his head and took another bite. "I wanna chill out too, ya know..."

 

Steve scoffed, not out of disdain but out of a mix of surprise and humour. Tony Stark, too lazy to lie about himself. More like too cocky to hide the truth.

 

"So you just decided to come out of the cave today?"

 

"Hungry," Tony said simply and continued stuffing himself with food.

 

The blond man furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly concerned about the gravity of the situation. "When was the last time you had food? Real food, not just coffee."

 

"I dunno... Two... Three days ago? Who cares?"

 

Steve pursed his lips and sighed. Three days ago was the last time Steve saw Tony. They had a quick breakfast and then had gone to do their own duties. Steve did not see the engineer anymore after that but he didn’t really bother looking either.

 

"And I think there's a convention about you in the museum today," Tony said before Steve could chastise him further. "We should go."

 

"I can't believe you take your health so lightly," Steve scolded anyway. "You're human, Tony. You have to eat and rest, too. Don't try to change the subject."

 

Tony rolled his eyes, "Relax. I'm used to this kind of lifestyle. And much contrary to the popular believe, I do eat and rest. You guys just don't see me doing it."

 

“I don’t know how Pepper puts up with you,” Steve sighed defeatedly and took a sip of his soda.

 

When he looked up at the engineer, Steve could have sworn he saw Tony pouting at him before looking out the window. It might be a ridiculous statement but Steve couldn’t lie. He actually thought it was cute.

 

They went to the museum after that. Tony was right. There really was a little convention about Captain America and the Howling Commandos. The museum hall was decked up with all sorts of weaponry from the war.

 

And that was not the only things that Steve recognized and found familiar. The first few who braved the war with him, they were all there. Even Peggy. Even Bucky.

 

Bucky.

 

That familiar face who looked so lively and happy in the films recorded by the Army. The brave soldier that America had lost in the war. The man who gave his live for his country.

 

No. Bucky was the man who trusted Steve and fought the war with him. He was the man who gave his life up.

 

For Steve.

 

The memory of Bucky’s hands slipping through his fingers were still vivid in his mind. It was all too fresh. It almost felt like it just happened yesterday. It may have been decades ago but the pain is still too real. The rage that burned within him, Steve had once used it to fight those monsters who wore the mask of humans.

 

All Steve wanted was to rid of the oppressors, to free his country from bullies. It was all he began with right from the beginning. A little boy from Brooklyn who just hated to be stepped on.

 

And then when Bucky joined his cause, it gave him reason to keep fighting. It gave Steve the will to go further and perhaps even win the war. He felt invincible because even when he had nothing, he had Bucky.

 

But Bucky was not the only one who fell off the train that fateful day. That little boy from Brooklyn was lost in the thick snow, too.

 

Ever since Bucky's fall, Steve was determined to root them all out. Kill them all. Leave none of them behind. He had been cruel and ruthless. All he ever cared for was to get Schmidt, and kill every last one of his Hydra army. It did not even matter if they won or lost the war. Too many lives had been lost and all Steve wanted was to stop it.

 

Steve blinked back to reality, realising the presence of the man next to him who was munching loudly on some nuts. He took a glance to his side, seeing that Tony was there popping nuts into his mouth and chewing as he too stared at the huge glass wall with Bucky’s biodata on it. The billionaire turned his head, noticing that the blond man was staring at him, and offered the pack of nuts to him.

 

All Steve could do was just sigh and shake his head, refusing the nuts. Tony was munching the whole time as they rounded the museum, reading facts about the war and what happened after.

 

Peggy was on screen in one of the little rooms, reiterating her story about the war and her first-hand recount of how it ended. She looked not much older than he remembered her and he wonders how she looks like now. Steve clenched his jaw and left when the five-minute film ended, heading towards the artifacts section afterwards.

 

It was a spectacular view. They had kept his battle suit from the war. Still in the same condition as he remembers it. He never really thought about how he had gone under in that suit and had woken up in just casual clothings but he never really asked either.

 

“Did you really wear this back then?” Tony asked, whispering close to Steve’s ear to avoid having other people hearing him. They could not risk having the crowd suddenly realizing that it was the actual Captain America standing there and then Steve has to hold an impromptu fansigning event. It would be even worse if they also realize that Iron Man is there too.

 

“Yes,” Steve replied, eyeing the costume from head to toe and then the ones beside it.

 

The one to his immediate left was Bucky’s. Just the same as he remembers it as well. The only difference was that of course, instead of the Howling Commandos, he was facing a line-up of mannequins wearing their clothes. Steve took a deep breath and let a thousand thoughts run through his mind.

 

They left the museum roughly about over an hour later. Surprisingly, Tony did not say a word about the convention being boring or even made a passing comment about the displays. Steve had decided for them to leave and Tony simply followed.

 

“Do you still remember all of that?” Tony asked, popping nuts into his mouth as they both walked down a trail in a nearby park.

 

“Most of that happened after I went under,” Steve replied, feeling his emotions take a rollercoaster ride. “I was only part of the war. Not part of the victory.”

 

“Now why would you say that?” Tony asked. They both stopped and turned to look at each other.

 

“Look around you, Steve,” Tony said, raising his hand and gesturing around them. “This _is_ the victory. This is what you fought for. This is what you went under for. This. Is the new era.”

 

Steve furrowed his eyebrows at Tony. It was so easy for him to say it. He had never been through what Steve did. He just wouldn’t understand.

 

“What you saw back there,” Tony pointed a finger towards the direction they had both just come from, “was a lifetime ago. Don’t dwell in the past. You’re not fighting that war anymore. This is the new order. We’re fighting a new war. And the enemies aren’t equipped with Tesseract-powered weapons anymore, they’re equipped with technology.”

 

Tony raised his hand and held Steve’s shoulder, squeezing it a little. “So if you don’t suit up, this time, if you go under… You’re not gonna come back.”

 

Steve was going to retaliate, tell Tony that he’s wrong. Tell him something, anything. But the billionaire had just picked out a stray nut that clung onto Steve’s shirt from his hand, and walked away. Then Steve thought about what Tony had said. He looked up and looked around him.

 

It was indeed a new era. Children walk down the streets with no fear. People are enjoying the breeze, sitting around looking carefree. Women and men both wear pants now. Everyone is treated equally. It was what he had once fought for. Freedom from oppression. He would hate to say it aloud but Tony was actually right. The new war is now against enemies armed with technology and the only way to suit up is to leave the old war behind.

 

Beep beep. A car's horn made Steve snap out of his little internal monologue.

 

“Coming, Cap?” Tony’s voice calling out to him made him turn.

 

He looked at that man who stood a few feet away from him, leaning into his red convertible. That man whom had once sparked so much hatred within him, is now calling for him to get on board. Not just on board his car, but into the new world. Build a new life. Fight a new war.

 

Then Steve realised that Tony was not as different as he was. They may not be people of the same times. They may not have fought the same wars. They may not have wielded the same swords and shields. But they still fought for the same cause. One that they believed to be right.

 

Steve simply gave a smile and shook his head at how the situation had taken a turn to. “Wait for me.”

 

The super soldier jogged towards the car and hopped on. The only thing that Steve still had not realised was the fact that he had just been given a new reason to fight. A new fuel to the fire in his soul. A new direction.

  
And all that was no longer provided by the same man who once did back in the 1940s. But another one who turns out to be not so different from the first, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> All characters in this fic belong to Marvel and Disney. You really don't wanna sue me, I don't even have a house to mortgage... This laptop is not even mine!
> 
> I love comments and Kudos! Please tell me if there's anything you would wanna see happen. Next part is still in writing. If you actually realize, I'm working backwards. I started with their established relationship and then back to everything before it. I'll have these oneshots strung into a series soon. 
> 
> Thanks again yall. I hart yalls~


End file.
